Holiday Tree question - Page 2

[kama'aina mama]

Originally Posted by Liquesce

Muslims generally don't do trees. There may be some local traditions here and there, but by and large it would be a "sure, string some lights on them if they're handy" thing more than anything relevant to the faith. Like I sometimes buy one of those little grocery store potted Christmas trees, but that's because I like them and they remind me of my grandmother, not because green was the Islamic prophet's favorite color or tinsel represents the flowing waters of the sacred well at Mecca or, I don't know, plastic ornaments represent the wealth of oil that laid hidden beneath the feet of our most revered figures, or such. It's just a tree.

I have a friend who adopted a baby from Kazakhstan and has become very active in Kazakh cultural activities so her daughter can learn about her heritage. The mom, is culturally Jewish but not particularly religious at all. She does teach her daughter about her Jewish heritage and they celebrate the holidays.

The was very surprised when they visited some Kazakh friends, who are practicing Muslims, last December and they had a tree! They told her "Oh... yes! We would have really missed having a New Years Tree!" So now, after years of complaining that "Yes, actually, even secular symbols of Christmas are still about Christmas and are a perfect example of the dominant, Christian culture forcing itself on everyone else!" she buys a tree, which she seems to hardly believe herself.

So yeah.., some Muslims get trees but it's cultural rather than religious.

[Adele_Mommy]

There is a Hindu ceremony focused on trees that falls every 210 days. This year it was in September, so not part of the "upcoming holiday". Here is more information.

Leaves and trees are also important for Hindu weddings and in the Hindu religion in general according to this page.

I also found this wikipedia article about a Hanukkah Bush kind of interesting, because it talks about how a Christmas Tree really has nothing to do with Christianity. A Jewish person having a Hanukkah Bush is kind of a joke, but really it has no more or less religious meaning or significance than a Christian having a Christmas tree.

I have a Christmas tree every year and always have, and I guess it falls under secular for me.

[pants]

interesting stuff. I am familiar with the OT biblical references that a prior poster mentioned. We however see the passage as forbidding idol worship, not expressly forbidding to decorate a tree.

We use our tree for fire wood to heat our home (we usually do cedar tree's) when Christmas is over. So I kinda look at it as firewood on hold. LOL.

[TzippityDoulah]

Originally Posted by pants

interesting stuff. I am familiar with the OT biblical references that a prior poster mentioned. We however see the passage as forbidding idol worship, not expressly forbidding to decorate a tree.


We use our tree for fire wood to heat our home (we usually do cedar tree's) when Christmas is over. So I kinda look at it as firewood on hold. LOL.

LOL firewood on hold! love it!!


yes me too. it seemed to clearly (to me) mean that we are not to worship idols (like trees that perhaps another culture did).

I don't worship any tree. In my house or not. but i do love an evergreen! hang some lights on it and I'm one happy girl!

really though, it's just for fun. it holds zero spiritual meaning for me whatsoever. it's just a thing i grew up doing and something I really enjoy. to me there is no prettier winter decoration than tree all lit up.

[greenmagick]

Originally Posted by Wicked Bliss

Having a beautiful evergreen tree, slowly die in our living room, is just not really very celebratory for us.

I thought about doing a potted tree but it wasnt practical for us. Since then I have become very comfortable with getting a tree and watching it die. For me, it symbolizes beautifully the wheel, the cycle of death and rebirth. I save a bit of my tree for the next years yule log (if I remember). We compost it when we are done with it.

I also buy from local tree farms.....I dont feel bad about cutting one down as it is planted for that sole purpose.

[caro113]

Originally Posted by Wicked Bliss

Having a beautiful evergreen tree, slowly die in our living room, is just not really very celebratory for us.

This is why I don't like trees, unless they are replanted. DP and I finally compromised on getting a fake tree. I didn't want one at all, because I do associate them with Christmas and church. (In fact, I don't think I've been to a church that didn't have a tree and lights and tinsel and ornaments and every other annoyance.) I'd much rather not celebrate anything but DP is obsessed with Christmas to the point where I'd much rather not exist. It took awhile but we finally agreed on a fake "Holiday Tree" instead of a real Christmas tree.

Of course, the above quote is also why I don't like flowers, especially at funerals. There's nothing like your dead loved one's favourite, beautiful flowers dying and rotting in front of you to remind you they're dead.

But maybe I'm just a cynic.

[mamabadger]

Not everything used to celebrate Christmas has to have a direct spiritual meaning. Christmas is a fairly major Christian feast day, and traditionally was preceded by a lengthy fast. This means not just a holy day, but a celebration, a party. It would be celebrated according to the customs of each particular place. If it was usual in a given community to serve roast pig for a big event, they would have roast pig on Christmas. That does not mean the pig symbolizes anything about the Nativity. If a district traditionally decorated their homes with some kind of greenery for a winter festival, locals who became Christian would probably go on decorating that way for Christmas. If their festivals usually involved dancing, juggling, fire walking, or what have you, those things would be incorporated into the Christmas celebration. The same would apply to decorating an evergreen tree.

[hrsmom]

Originally Posted by Theoretica

GREAT post

This reminds me of the Candy Cane myth as well as The 12 Days of Christmas myth. There are groups in the Christian communities that turn EVERY.SINGLE.THING into supposed Christian symbolism.

I enjoyed that post as well! Thank you for the links! I always thought that candy cane/Jesus story sounded made-up. I thought the same thing- some will say there is hidden Christian symbolism in everything!

OP, interesting question!!

[smeisnotapirate]

Originally Posted by mamabadger

Not everything used to celebrate Christmas has to have a direct spiritual meaning. Christmas is a fairly major Christian feast day, and traditionally was preceded by a lengthy fast. This means not just a holy day, but a celebration, a party. It would be celebrated according to the customs of each particular place. If it was usual in a given community to serve roast pig for a big event, they would have roast pig on Christmas. That does not mean the pig symbolizes anything about the Nativity. If a district traditionally decorated their homes with some kind of greenery for a winter festival, locals who became Christian would probably go on decorating that way for Christmas. If their festivals usually involved dancing, juggling, fire walking, or what have you, those things would be incorporated into the Christmas celebration. The same would apply to decorating an evergreen tree.

I agree. I remember observing Noche Buena with a pig roast as a kid - it was just a party before Christmas.